Little is known of the three leaders. It has been suggested that Jack Straw may have been a preacher, but his name may suggest a link to thatching. Some have suggested that the name may have been a pseudonym for Wat Tyler or other peasants' leaders.
According to information in the church of St Mary in Great Baddow, in Essex, England, Jack Straw led an ill-fated crowd from the churchyard to one of the risings.
The British politician John Whitaker Straw (born 1946) adopted the name Jack Straw after the rebel leader.